by Jasmine Walt
“Do you think you might be looking too far afield for little Cerlina?” Roanas finally asked. “Perhaps you haven’t delved deep enough into her past, and she’s hiding in a place that would be obvious if you only knew a bit more about her.”
I opened my mouth to say that a ten-year-old could hardly have much of a past, but a knock at the door interrupted me. “I’ll get it,” I said, catching Annia’s scent. “It’s my ride.”
“Hey,” Annia said when I opened the door. “You ready to go?” She handed over my belongings in a neat pile.
“Yeah, just let me get changed.” I hesitated, then added, “Why don’t you come in out of the cold?” I moved back to let her inside, then shut the door behind her.
“Hello, Inspector Tillmore,” Annia said as Roanas stepped into the living room. “It’s been a while.”
“Indeed it has.” Roanas smiled.
I arched a brow as I looked between them. “You two know each other?” I shouldn’t be surprised, since Roanas had a long-time relationship with the Guild.
“I’ve passed Enforcer Melcott in the halls a time or two,” Roanas said. “Though that was when you were still a rookie yourself,” he added to Annia. “It seems you’ve grown into your career. Are you specializing in a particular type of case?”
“Not really, though I like jobs that take me out of town, even if it’s simply as a guard,” she told him. “I worked for a crew for a few weeks in my first year, but I don’t fit in very well with them.”
I left the two of them to it as I ran upstairs to get changed. My sensitive ears picked up their conversation easily, and I learned that Larina’s parents were overjoyed at the safe return of their daughter.
“By the way,” Annia said with a wink as I rejoined them. “Good deeds do get rewarded now and then. Larina’s parents told me they’d offered up a small bounty for her safe return—probably too modest to interest any of our colleagues,” she added dryly. “We can claim it at the Guild tomorrow morning if we fill out the paperwork.”
“That’s great!” Small bounty or not, it was still the first I’d earned, and my chest swelled with pride. I’d be piling them up soon enough, and then I could afford to buy things like a real adult.
“Unfortunately, we’ll also have to do some basic paperwork to account for the four dead bodies we left behind tonight,” Annia added, sounding decidedly not thrilled about the idea. “It should only take half an hour, since the location and type of victim speak for themselves.”
“Guess that comes with the job,” I said with a shrug. If paperwork was the price we had to pay for ridding the streets of scum and seeing that girl home safe, so be it.
By the time we arrived back at the Thottings’ house, it was nearly eight o’clock. Normally, I would have felt a little guilty calling on someone so late, but considering the circumstances, I didn’t think the Thottings would mind. They wanted their daughter returned safe and sound, and I had no doubt they'd cooperate in any way they could.
“Good evening,” Annia said when Mrs. Thotting answered the door. “We’ve come to speak to your brother. Has he come back from job hunting yet?”
“Oh! Yes, of course,” Mrs. Thotting said. She ushered us inside and into the living room. “Have you gotten any closer to finding my daughter?”
“We’re still chasing down leads,” Annia said. “The case is our top priority.”
“Good.” Mrs. Thotting wrung her hands, her eyes shining with worry as she looked out the window. “I’ve been watching the street all day, hoping she’ll come skipping up the sidewalk, ready to tell me about some grand adventure she’s gotten herself into.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and she wiped it away hastily. “I’ll go get Melan for you.”
She fled up the stairs, and I waited until she was out of earshot before letting out a heavy sigh. “Boy, this is tough,” I muttered as the mother’s dread and anxiety began to well up in my own stomach. “Have you ever taken a missing kid case before?”
Annia shook her head. “No. Just the usual riffraff. Somehow, this is a lot harder. There’s a kind of…helplessness, here.” She scrubbed a hand across her face, suddenly looking very tired. “As if hope is slipping away with each passing second.”
I let out a breath. “We can’t think like that,” I said quietly. “If we’ve already given up in our minds, then we’ll never find her.” Roanas was constantly drilling that idea into me—that thinking positively was the key to success.
Annia nodded, squaring her shoulders. By the time footsteps sounded on the stairs, we were composed and professional again. Melan was a lean, fit man in his early forties, with black hair and a trimmed mustache. He shared his sister’s hazel eyes and full mouth, but his nose was longer, and his skin tanned, as if he spent most of his time outside. He wore a button-up shirt, vest, and slacks that looked well made. Definitely not the kind of clothing someone hard on their luck usually wore.
Maybe that’s just his job-interview outfit, I thought.
“Good evening, Enforcers,” he said, shaking both our hands with a firm grip. He sat down on the couch opposite us, then clasped his hands between his knees and regarded us steadily. His eyes were calm, but the stiffness in his shoulders betrayed his tension. “Coralia said that you wanted to speak to me?”
“Yes,” I said. “This is just routine. We’re interviewing everyone who’s close to Cerlina. Mrs. Thotting said the two of you got along well?”
A smile softened his face. “She’s a bit of an awkward child, but absolutely darling,” he said, turning toward the fire. The flames danced in his eyes as he stared into the grate. “My sister is often exhausted by the end of the night, so I’d taken to reading with her at bedtime. She’s delightful, her head full of tall tales and daring adventures. It makes me wonder if she decided to run off and join a pirate crew, or some other such foolish pursuit.” His expression shuttered.
“Did she ever mention doing such a thing?” Annia asked.
He shrugged. “Only in the way that children do when they’re getting carried away. I never took her seriously. Despite her fanciful notions, she is a devoted daughter and a very studious girl. She would never cause her parents such pain by running away like this, without so much as a note.” His jaw flexed. “Whatever bounty the Guild is offering, I’ll double it. Just find my niece quickly, before any real harm befalls her. My sister had a difficult birth with her, and the doctor said she will not be able to survive another. I don’t think she would survive losing Cerlina, either.”
We thanked him for the offer, then showed ourselves out. “He seems to care very much about Cerlina,” Annia said as we walked down the steps of the front porch. “Was he telling the truth?”
“Oh yeah,” I said, sticking my hands into my jacket pockets for warmth. “He was even sincere about the offer to double the bounty, though I don’t know how he can afford it, since he’s out of work.”
Annia frowned. “He did seem quite well dressed for someone who has no income. But maybe he’s living off savings?”
I shrugged. “We could poke into it a bit more.”
Annia considered it a moment, then shook her head. “We’ll circle back to that. He’s not a suspect, so poking into his private affairs isn’t a good use of our time. For now, we need to trace the origins of that flask.”
The next morning, after training and breakfast with Roanas, I hopped onto my bike and headed up to the Port. Annia had taken me by the Enforcer’s Guild last night to retrieve it, and we’d agreed to split up this morning. While she filled out the paperwork for last night’s activities, I was going to Witches’ End to track down the flask.
As I pedaled up and down Solantha’s steep, hilly neighborhoods, dodging steamcars and whizzing by pedestrians on their way to work, I couldn’t help but miss Annia’s steambike. Man, but it had been nice to zoom around town on that sleek, sexy machine. It would be a long time before I had enough money to buy my own, and I almost wished I’d had her come with me just so I could enjoy a
nother ride.
Stop being such a lazy ass, I chided myself. I was more than strong enough to endure the bike ride. Besides, it was better that I didn’t take Annia along for this. I needed to stop by Madam Charming’s shop so I could recharge my amulet, and I didn’t need Annia asking unwanted questions about it.
My route took me up past the Shiftertown border and into Rowanville, then northwest to where the Port was located. The tightly packed streets began to thin out as I reached the coast of Solantha Bay, giving way to wider streets, fancier shops, and luxurious apartment complexes that charged a fortune for their waterfront views. The salty sea breeze teased my nostrils, winding its chilly fingers through my hair so it could tug my curls out behind me like a streaming banner. But despite the cold breeze, the sun was shining brightly, its rays bouncing off the white stone boathouses that marked each pier.
The line of piers stretched north and south as far as the eye could see, making up what we called the Port. It was the largest harbor in the Northia Federation, and did a brisk business. Many local shops and restaurants lined the nearby streets to cater to tourists and sailors from all around the world.
I parked my bike on the street, securing it to a lamppost with a lock, then headed south toward Pier Eighteen, otherwise known as Witches’ End. This was the section of Solantha where foreign magic users set up shop to ply their trade. They made good coin off the shifter and human populations, who came to this part of town to seek charms, amulets, and cures for their ailments rather than go to the exclusive Mages Quarter. It cost a lot less, and the residents of Witches’ End were a hell of a lot friendlier than the holier-than-thou attitude one could expect from the average mage.
Despite it only being nine o’clock, Witches’ End was bustling with activity. People strolled along the pier, perusing the plentiful offerings. Tourists could get their fortune read, a charm to ward off nightmares, even love potions, if they walked into the right shop. Some of the things sold here were mildly illegal, but most of the merchandise was aboveboard. If someone was looking for darker magic, they had to go down to the Black Market at their own risk.
I hurried down to the end of the pier, where Madame Charming kept her shop, anxious to get this errand over with so I could get back to the case. But, to my shock, her gauzy curtains and hand-painted sign were no longer hanging in the windows. Instead, dried herbs and cream-colored curtains hung behind the glass, and there was a different name frosted on it. Over the Hedge, it said in type that was somehow both blocky and elegant. What the hell kind of name was that?
Scowling, I pushed the wooden door open, determined to get to the bottom of this. A small bell tinkled as I did so, and the scent of herbs, wax, and magic flowed over me. The combination soothed my nerves despite myself, and I let out a breath as I looked around. Madame Charming’s dark colors and whimsical decorations were gone, replaced by clean, simple furnishings crafted out of natural materials. The curtains framing the windows were plain cotton, the tables and shelves were made of driftwood, and the colorfully dyed rugs were handwoven. The place was buzzing with activity, several customers admiring various vials and pouches full of herbal concoctions, by the smell of them. Was this an apothecary?
“Hello?” A male voice, crisp and throaty with a strange accent, came from behind me. “Can I help you find something today?”
I spun around to see a man standing behind me, a half smile on his face. He was tall, with broad shoulders that tapered into a lean waist, dressed in an earthen-colored robe with a sage-green sash tied at the waist. His ash-blond hair framed a long, square-jawed face that looked about thirty, with handsome features and striking, cornflower-blue eyes. My heart did a little flip in my chest, and I realized that he was quite attractive.
“Um, yeah.” Clearing my throat, I shoved my hormones back down the hole from whence they’d risen. My Heat was only two months off, and the closer it got, the friskier they tended to be. “I was looking for Madame Charming.”
The man gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid she closed up shop and moved back to the Central Continent a few weeks ago.” He held out a hand, and I noticed his fingers were lightly stained with herbs and dirt. “My name is Comenius Genhard, and I’m the new owner. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Sunaya Baine.” I shook his hand, and a tingle shot up my arm and straight down my spine. Get a grip! No, not like that! I scolded myself as I squeezed his hand even harder. Flustered, I tucked my hand into my jacket pocket before I could make an even bigger ass of myself. “I’m an enforcer.”
“Ah.” His eyebrows rose. “Is this official business, then?”
“Yes and no.” I hesitated, then reached for the amulet hanging from my belt. I untied it, then passed it over to him. “Madame Charming made this for me, for protection. The magic is starting to wear down, and I need it charged.”
“I see.” A thoughtful look entered Comenius’s eyes, and he traced the amulet with his fingertips. “Protection, you say?”
“Yes.” I met his gaze evenly, refusing to betray my suddenly racing pulse. Did he suspect?
But Comenius only nodded, then pocketed the amulet. “Give me a few moments. I’ll take care of it.”
He disappeared into the back, leaving the clerk at the front desk to attend to the customers, and I took the opportunity to study his wares. Amongst the herbal teas, soaps, and bath salts lining the shelves, there were quite a few potions. According to the labels, they were meant to cure various maladies. I took the flask from Cerlina’s room out of my inner jacket pocket, then compared it to the different sizes and shapes of bottles in the shop. None of them matched.
“Here you go.” I spun around, my heart in my throat, at the sound of Comenius’s voice. He was standing behind me, the amulet dangling from his fingers, with a very curious expression in his eyes. “This should last you another three months, at least.”
“Thanks.” My fingers brushed against his, and that thrilling little tingle shot through me again. “Guess I’ll have to come back to see you again.” Did I sound a little breathless? By Magorah, I was on the job!
“You’re welcome any time.” His eyes twinkled, and his scent changed very subtly beneath his natural herbal, musky fragrance, betraying his interest. He glanced at the shelves behind me, then to the flask in my hand. “Were you looking for a particular potion?”
“No.” I gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid this is the ‘official business’ portion of my business.”
His eyes glinted. “Do tell.”
I held out the flask to him. “I’m tracking down a missing girl, and I found this flask in her room. We’re a bit short on leads at the moment, so I was hoping I might be able to identify which shop she’d bought this from, or at least what kind of potion was in it.”
“Hmm.” He drummed his fingers along the length of the flask. “I do carry this kind of flask, but I’m afraid many shops in the area will as well, so that might not be your best bet.” He uncorked the bottle, then gave it a deep sniff. A puzzled frown settled over his handsome features. “Honeybeetle, dewblood, anise, and a hint of caraway. There are a few others, but too faint to identify since there is nothing left in the flask.”
I arched a brow. “You can smell all that?” Of course, I could—my sensitive nose had picked out seven different scents in that bottle when I’d taken more time to study it, though I didn’t know their names. But how could a non-shifter manage that?
“Of course I can.” He gave me an amused smile. “I would be a poor excuse for a hedgewitch if I couldn’t identify which herbs were used in a potion. Much like a chef can identify ingredients in a dish by tasting it, I can identify the ingredients in a potion by smelling it.”
“Huh.” I filed that bit of information away for later—this guy might be useful in the future. “What’s a hedgewitch, exactly?”
“We deal in earth-based magic,” he explained. “All of our potions, spells, charms, and amulets are created by drawing on the earth�
��s power, as well as using the natural materials Mother Nature provides. There are some who think of us as mere healers,” he added, his eyes briefly flashing with annoyance. “But we use magic just as much as any other witch.”
“I don’t doubt that for a moment.” The place smelled strongly of it beneath the herbs and dirt. It was that burnt-sugar scent that clung to mages like a disease—that I was so careful to make sure didn’t cling to me. I brushed my fingers against my recharged amulet, seeking its comfort. It worked wonders to control my magic, though it wouldn’t help if my life was in danger.
“So, do you have any idea what kind of potion this was?” I asked.
Comenius handed the flask back to me. “I’ve come across a similar combination once, for a particular customer of my late master. The man’s daughter was an empath, and such a talent tends to take a toll both physically and mentally. He asked for a potion that would suppress her magic, so that she might walk amongst others without being assaulted by their emotions.”
“By Magorah!” I nearly dropped the flask. “There are potions that can do such a thing?” Would such a potion be useful for me? Or would it hamper my ability to shift?
“Yes, though I can’t speak to the concoction’s effectiveness personally,” Comenius admitted. “But my master was very talented, and a man of integrity. I don’t think he would have mixed a potion that he didn’t believe worked.” His expression turned grave. “Whoever this missing girl is, it is likely that she too is struggling with magical issues. I hope that you find her before something bad happens…but on the other hand, I know that if you do, she will be left at the mercy of the Mages Guild and the magic wipes.” His eyes shuttered, as if a wall had suddenly slammed down between us, and I flinched inwardly. “I’m afraid I must get back to work now, Miss Baine. Why don’t you see the cashier and get settled up?”